| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger: nineteenth century, so also we find, if we look closely enough, that
nineteenth century economics is inadequate to lead the world out of
the catastrophic situation into which it has been thrown by the
debacle of the World War. Economists are coming to recognize that the
purely economic interpretation of contemporary events is insufficient.
Too long, as one of them has stated, orthodox economists have
overlooked the important fact that ``human life is dynamic, that
change, movement, evolution, are its basic characteristics; that self-
expression, and therefore freedom of choice and movement, are
prerequisites to a satisfying human state''.[4]
Economists themselves are breaking with the old ``dismal science'' of
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Commission in Lunacy by Honore de Balzac: reduced to abject want, had left Fribourg and returned to live in
France. Finally, I found a M. Jeanrenaud, lieutenant in a cavalry
regiment under Napoleon, the sole heir of this unhappy family. In my
eyes, monsieur, the rights of the Jeanrenauds were clear. To establish
a prescriptive right is it not necessary that there should have been
some possibility of proceeding against those who are in the enjoyment
of it? To whom could these refugees have appealed? Their Court of
Justice was on high, or rather, monsieur, it was here," and the
Marquis struck his hand on his heart. "I did not choose that my
children should be able to think of me as I have thought of my father
and of my ancestors. I aim at leaving them an unblemished inheritance
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: never in their lives uttered a lie or stolen a penny. I was afraid
of Goodson. He was neither born nor reared in Hadleyburg. I was
afraid that if I started to operate my scheme by getting my letter
laid before you, you would say to yourselves, 'Goodson is the only
man among us who would give away twenty dollars to a poor devil'--
and then you might not bite at my bait. But heaven took Goodson;
then I knew I was safe, and I set my trap and baited it. It may be
that I shall not catch all the men to whom I mailed the pretended
test-secret, but I shall catch the most of them, if I know
Hadleyburg nature. [Voices. "Right--he got every last one of
them."] I believe they will even steal ostensible GAMBLE-money,
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: to the Alexandrian Canon. But I hardly think that we are justified in
attributing much weight to the authority of the Alexandrian librarians in
an age when there was no regular publication of books, and every temptation
to forge them; and in which the writings of a school were naturally
attributed to the founder of the school. And even without intentional
fraud, there was an inclination to believe rather than to enquire. Would
Mr. Grote accept as genuine all the writings which he finds in the lists of
learned ancients attributed to Hippocrates, to Xenophon, to Aristotle? The
Alexandrian Canon of the Platonic writings is deprived of credit by the
admission of the Epistles, which are not only unworthy of Plato, and in
several passages plagiarized from him, but flagrantly at variance with
|
